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How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

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Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#261

Post by adrianN »

burfog wrote: post #259
adrianN wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bicycles don't ride on sidewalks because you want to maximize their visibility. Most deadly accidents between bikes and cars happen at intersections where bikes are getting right-hooked by drivers who forget to check their blind spot. Drivers don't expect objects traveling at 30km/h on the sidewalk, so they're even less likely to look. Sharing the road between bikes and cars is much safer. There would be almost no pr…

Drivers don't expect objects traveling at 30km/h on the sidewalk, but that doesn't matter. Drivers are supposed to be on the roads. I suppose the idea is that the bike would just zip across the intersection at that speed? The people preferring bikes on sidewalks are thinking of non-athlete bike riders. They never go that fast. At intersections, they dismount and walk. These bike users are far more compatible with ped…

You can't expect cyclists to stop and get off at every intersection. They wouldn't get anywhere. Bicycles are not toys, they're vehicles. The people on them have places to be.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#262

Post by seszett »

grecy wrote: post #257
ummonk wrote: post #25

There are smaller things (bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians) that can sneak into the gap between the side and rearview mirror views here. And colliding with one of those is much more likely to cause serious injury or death than colliding with a car. It's a much better idea to make sure your side and rear mirrors have complete coverage (i.e. no gaps) at the back, and actually turning your head to check the blind spot…

There is an even better way, used in Latin America, Africa (and I suspect other developing countries). I've driven about 100,000 miles through 46 countries on those continents, I've had a lot of practice at what I call "Make it up driving" The rule is, who cares if it's behind you. Do whatever the hell you want, because people behind you can see you and they will get out of your way. You can't easily see them, so don…

Statistics though show that western-style driving is definitely safer than the free for all that is common in developing countries (I speak for Jordan and Vietnam in particular, comparing them to Western Europe).

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#263

Post by burfog »

AceyMan wrote: post #167
danjayh wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree that extra caution is needed for pedestrians and bicycles. Having said that, I never understood why bicycles aren't required to ride on the sidewalks in areas that have them. The threat posed by a car to a bike is much greater than the threat posed by a bike to a pedestrian, therefore, to maximize safety bikes should be on the sidewalk. As far as motorcycles are concerned - I think they're a bad idea in general…

> I never understood why bicycles aren't required to ride on the sidewalks in areas that have them. I'm so positively gobsmacked that a statement this plainly ignorant came from a fellow HN participant, I don't even know where to begin. Start with: bicycles are vehicles—always have been, in fact. Pedestrians are not. Sidewalks are for pedestrians. (It's not a "sideride" after all. ) Even razor/bird scooters on sidewa…

Non-motorized wheelchairs operated by obese 90-year-old people are also vehicles, and they clearly don't belong on the road (hope you agree), so "vehicle" doesn't matter. The same goes for little battery operated kid toys and traditional kid tricycles.

Most bike riders are far closer to the above than they are to cars. Lots of people are obese, elderly, and otherwise lacking in athletic ability. If these people are excluded from the sidewalk, then they are entirely excluded from the benefits of bike usage.

The trouble here is that bike-related laws are mainly influenced by people who are extreme bike users. These users want to be in the road. They care enough to join cycling organizations that will lobby to have bikes treated like cars. The typical bike user is a physically weak person, and they ride on something like a $39.95 bike from Walmart. The bike has overly thick knobby tires, unreliable gears if any, big fenders, and lots of low-quality (thus thick) steel. You're saying these people have no right to ride bikes if you insist that they go on the road.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#264

Post by nradov »

wcarron wrote: post #188
nradov wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your could make the same arguments for bringing back manual chokes. I think it's better to reduce the driver's workload so they can keep both hands on the wheel and devote more attention to what's happening outside.

> so they can keep both hands on the wheel and devote more attention to what's happening outside. That was my point though. When driving a manual, your hands are either A) on the wheel, or B) one on wheel, other shifting gears. You can't really do much else. Maybe drink coffee if you're sitting in the same gear over distance, but in suburban traffic with stop lights and signs and turns, you can't afford to do much mo…

If your hypothesis is correct then we would expect to see auto insurers offering lower rates for manual transmission vehicles due to a lower risk of crashes. Do you have any evidence for that?

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#265

Post by grecy »

seszett wrote: post #262
grecy wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is an even better way, used in Latin America, Africa (and I suspect other developing countries). I've driven about 100,000 miles through 46 countries on those continents, I've had a lot of practice at what I call "Make it up driving" The rule is, who cares if it's behind you. Do whatever the hell you want, because people behind you can see you and they will get out of your way. You can't easily see them, so don…

Statistics though show that western-style driving is definitely safer than the free for all that is common in developing countries (I speak for Jordan and Vietnam in particular, comparing them to Western Europe).

I'd bet those statistics are averaging across whole countries, so they're adding in highway driving - which, yeah, is very dangerous in developing countries.

I'd be willing to be there are less crashes driving in big cities in developing countries than driving in big cities in developed countries.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#266

Post by salex89 »

nostrademons wrote: post #237
m1n1 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This, and the other comments that say turning your head is still necessary. I tried what the link suggests and had many instances where a motorcycle zipped by close to my car -- I didn't notice them until [what would have been] too late because I couldn't see the area next to my car easily that way. Now I have my mirrors adjusted so I can see motorcycles better, and I turn my head to check the remainder. All humans a…

I've got my mirrors set as the article describes. I've had motorcycles zip by right beside the car, splitting lanes. I saw them coming, and had them in complete view from when they entered the rearview mirror to the side mirror to out the side window. I've measured the exact point at which an object leaves the field of vision of the side mirror, and I'm pretty sure it's slightly ahead of the driver side window, at wh…

True, but convex mirrors help a lot. I'm not sure do all cars have them, though...

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#267

Post by amenghra »

ummonk wrote: post #25

There are smaller things (bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians) that can sneak into the gap between the side and rearview mirror views here. And colliding with one of those is much more likely to cause serious injury or death than colliding with a car. It's a much better idea to make sure your side and rear mirrors have complete coverage (i.e. no gaps) at the back, and actually turning your head to check the blind spot…

This + always switch on your blinkers a few seconds before turning, even when you know nobody is around.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#268

Post by hvidgaard »

ummonk wrote: post #25

There are smaller things (bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians) that can sneak into the gap between the side and rearview mirror views here. And colliding with one of those is much more likely to cause serious injury or death than colliding with a car. It's a much better idea to make sure your side and rear mirrors have complete coverage (i.e. no gaps) at the back, and actually turning your head to check the blind spot…

I've made this exact argument many times, but a lot of people seems to disagree with it. My guess they haven't dealt with lane-splitting two wheelers, or been driving in a European city with more bikes and mopeds than cars.

It doesn't help that it's often advised in the US is to lean your head towards the window/center of the car, and adjust your mirror so you can barely see the side of the car. It creates a blind spot big enough to hide a motorcycle.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#269

Post by burfog »

Nadya wrote: post #152
kpsychwave wrote: post #45

Blind spot mirrors solve this issue, and they are very cheap. I am surprised they are not mandated by manufacturers.

They look ugly and people don't want them. It should be mandated by law, much like seatbelts IMO.

I don't want them because they shrink the primary mirror while being too small to use. Since they still reflect glare, they are actually worse than patches of duct tape.

Re: How to Eliminate the Dreaded “Blind Spot”

#270

Post by postsantum »

seszett wrote: post #262
grecy wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is an even better way, used in Latin America, Africa (and I suspect other developing countries). I've driven about 100,000 miles through 46 countries on those continents, I've had a lot of practice at what I call "Make it up driving" The rule is, who cares if it's behind you. Do whatever the hell you want, because people behind you can see you and they will get out of your way. You can't easily see them, so don…

Statistics though show that western-style driving is definitely safer than the free for all that is common in developing countries (I speak for Jordan and Vietnam in particular, comparing them to Western Europe).

"Make it up driving" is what makes Thailand world's second most dangerous country to drive
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